TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Our stay at the Bahia Principe Bouganville was a nightmare. Upon our arrival, the desk attendant was asleep, which set a negative tone for our visit. He took over an hour to check us in, and that was only after we tried to wake him up multiple times. Throughout our stay, we experienced numerous issues, including a malfunctioning bathtub, phone, and air conditioning unit. Despite having a "do not disturb" sign on our door, housekeeping came to our door close to 10pm when we were asleep and attempted to open the door. The only reason she couldn't enter was because we had used the chain. This was entirely inappropriate and scared both myself and my partner. When we approached the front desk about our privacy concerns they were not apologetic, nor did they take our complaint seriously. It was only after a several-minute conversation did they offer to "talk to the housekeeping staff" which we are unsure if that ever happened. We found ourselves going to the front desk over three times in an effort to get these basic amenities repaired, yet no staff member offered a real solution until we visibly expressed our frustration. Despite submitting a maintenance request, the air conditioning was never fixed. The food at the buffet was consistently mislabeled, which posed significant risks for those with allergies. There were only a few tongs available for multiple dishes, increasing the likelihood of cross-contamination. This lack of attention to allergies and food safety should be clearly communicated, as it presents life-threatening medical issues and would have been a crucial factor in our decision to choose this hotel. When housekeeping came by, they never changed the sheets, only made the bed and we had to completely remove the sheets from the bed to get them to change them. We booked our transportation through the hotel and their partner Amstar. When we were picked up from the airport they were on-time and prompt, however when we arrived at the main lobby for our return transportation a half hour before our scheduled pickup time, our driver never showed. We talked to the amstar excursion representative at the hotel and he was unable to find our driver, he spoke with the hotel who was also not able to find the driver. He called in a favor with someone with another company shirt on to drive us in what we think was a personal vehicle. This delay almost caused us to miss our departure flight. We only made our flight because it was delayed slightly. This trip was so incredibly stressful, and despite our trying to advocate for ourselves, we never received the support needed to make our trip better.

We had an amazing vacation! Check in was a bit chaotic as we were taken to a room that was not fully cleaned, but we went to the bar for a drink and within 20 minutes we were in business. Reception was incredible to deal with - very responsive. We did have an issue with our toilet not flushing… it needed to be snaked (not plunged) and after 2 days they got it fixed. My friend and I made a bit of a game of going to the lobby washroom for those 2 days. It was inconvenient, but did not ruin our trip. We got to know Mariel Sanchez at reception very well as he made sure the room was fixed! Housekeeping - I travel to the DR 3-4 times a year and stay in different 5* resorts. The housekeeping here was the absolute BEST I have experienced. Our room was spotless, towels refreshed daily (lovely bath sheets!), mini bar and water filled daily. Buffet - definitely as good as any 5 star resort. Lots of selection. They rotate the location between the main, indoor buffet (dinners) and an indoor/outdoor buffet for breakfast. Service was great! À la carte - we ate at all 3 of the Bouganville à la cartes. Our favourite was the Japanese. Don Pablo was also great. The Brazilian steak house food was outstanding. Once we figured out the red/green card system, we had some fun. Service is all locations was exceptional. Clearly the staff has been well trained. Food quality was excellent. Bars - there are loads of bars! The Lobby bars (there are 3 open in the evening) were really good. Service was fun and friendly. We never had an issue with seating or service. The pool bar was really well run. The drinks were great and you could either swim up, or have a waitstaff bring your drink to your chair. The bar by the whirlpool always had a huge cold water dispenser ready! Pool/beach - I floated in the ocean daily. While the purple flag (dangerous sea creature warning …jellyfish) was up, I never saw one. The water was not the clear blue you see in pictures, but for the last 2 years the constant waves along Bavaro has churned that water up as well. I figure the whole beach is about 2 - 2.5km long and easily walkable and safe. The pool is great. We hung out at the activity pool, but there is a quiet pool and a huge whirlpool that have no activities, if you just wanted to chill. We never had a problem getting a lounger or an umbrella. Entertainment Staff - we engaged in the games every day and really fell in love with the staff. They were all very charming and fun, while being professional. We loved Clarebelle (I probably spelled that wrong), Carmelo (not his real name :)) Nikki, Marlise (again, probably spelled wrong) and the many others whose names I forgot! Overall - the resort was beautiful. It was well maintained and spotless. The service made our stay memorable. We actually cancelled our stay Jan 7 at the Meliá and booked to go back to Bouganville - it was that good!

We did like the resort. The food was awesome compared to other resorts we have been to. The sand fleas did like me. The staff were wonderful. Housekeeping kept the room nice and clean. Hubby went to customer service and he arranged for flowers to be delivered, they were beautiful.

Hospitality! The staff at Bouganville are absolutely fabulous! The guest services, the bar staff, the housekeeping, the waitstaff and hostesses, and the entertainment staff (Anna, Maria, Claribel, Carmello and many more) all top notch. Best all-inclusive we have been to.

Check-In & Room Allocation: A Comedy of Errors (Except We Didn’t Laugh) We were two couples, staying here briefly before boarding a cruise. For our return stay, we made a simple request: ?? same building block, ?? but further away from the bizarre, ear-drum-shattering entertainment area. Shouldn’t be rocket science. Yet even the Guest Experience Manager — whose actual job is caring about guests — failed magnificently. Her attitude? A very clear, professional version of: “Off you go. I don’t care.” Not exactly the warm Hyatt-level hospitality one might expect from a brand that supposedly partners with this property. ?? Breakfast & Service: Coffee? Seating? Basic Respect? Breakfast is where service goes on permanent vacation. You can sit among dozens of empty outdoor tables and still not get one assigned. Coffee? You might grow old waiting. Waiters make awkward noises, laugh about guests, and behave like you are somehow the inconvenience in their workday. Hospitality? Never heard of it. Guests deserve to be treated like… well, guests — not as understaffed coworkers. The whole thing left us speechless. ?? Dining: Low Quality, Low Training The buffet is a “nope.” Full stop. Specialty restaurants are slightly better, but the service is chaotic. Order multiple starters? They’ll all appear at once like an accidental tapas avalanche. Entertainment: Too Loud to Ignore The animation team is enthusiastic but far from professional. The real disaster, however, is the volume. The pool entertainment screams across the entire beach ????? — even into the quiet corners near the palms. Relaxation? Not possible unless you enjoy being blasted into the ocean. Beach & Grounds: The One Lovely Part To be fair: the grounds are beautiful, the beach is lined with swaying palms, and the loungers aren’t crammed together. The water isn’t that postcard Caribbean turquoise, but it’s fine. If the resort matched the beauty of the beach, this review wouldn’t exist. Overall Verdict: Beautiful Resort, Absolutely Terrible Service If Hyatt wants to keep their name associated with this place, they need serious, systematic training — for management, staff, waiters, and basically anyone interacting with guests. For us? ? Never returning. ? Major disappointment. ? A one-of-a-kind experience — and not the good kind. If you value good service, warm hospitality, or simply being treated decently… ?? Do. Not. Go. There. Hashtags for good measure: #BahiaPrincipeFail #BougainvilleExperience #NotFiveStars #ServiceDisaster #HyattPleaseHelp #NeverAgain #TravelWarning #ResortRealityCheck #CruiseShipsDoItBetter #BeautifulButBroken